


mirror images (when we kiss)

by bavariansugarcookie



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Anal Fingering, Anal Sex, Devotion, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Existential Angst, Friends to Lovers, Getting Together, Hurt/Comfort, Love Confessions, M/M, Mutual Pining, Non-Linear Narrative, Oral Sex, POV Multiple, Polyamory, Praise Kink, Season 8 Doesn't Exist, Sharing a Bed, Threesome - M/M/M, Time Skips
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-03-16
Updated: 2021-03-16
Packaged: 2021-03-25 07:09:01
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 12,371
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/30085371
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bavariansugarcookie/pseuds/bavariansugarcookie
Summary: Keith saved Kuro and Shiro over and over again, and they don't know how to accept that devotion, that love. But for Keith, all that matters is that they all saved each other in the end.
Relationships: Keith/Kuro (Voltron), Keith/Kuro/Shiro (Voltron), Keith/Shiro (Voltron), Kuro/Shiro (Voltron)
Comments: 6
Kudos: 53





	mirror images (when we kiss)

**~ Keith ~**

Keith's hand was shaking on the hilt of his knife. He tried to adjust his grip, but as the clone facility shook his fingers slipped. He stared down at Shiro, memorizing his face. The scar across his nose, his white floof. He looked so at peace, so much like the Shiro he remembered from earth - the Shiro who took him hoverbike racing, who swore he'd never give up on him. 

There was a loud boom and the facility shook again, sending his blade sliding closer to the edge. Keith closed his eyes as the blade slipped free, sending him and Shiro plummeting toward the planet below.

He clutched at Shiro's hand, refusing to let go.  _ As many times as it takes. _

Then miraculously, Black came rocketing toward them, opening her mouth to catch them in midair. 

Keith rolled across the floor, still reaching out for Shiro to keep him from slamming into the wall. Black righted herself, giving Keith a chance to catch his breath. "Thanks," he whispered, his voice hoarse. Black hummed in the back of his mind. "Go back?" he asked. "Why?"

She rumbled, and he saw a flash of Shiro’s face in his mind.  _ Allura will know,  _ Black said, and Keith nodded. "Alright, ok," he said, forcing himself to his feet. 

Shiro laid eerily still, and Keith picked him up, gingerly crossing to the bunk and laying Shiro down. He cupped Shiro's jaw, wishing he would wake up. Black rumbled again, and he leaned in. "I'll be back, Shiro," he promised, turning and running toward the ramp.

Half of the clone facility had collapsed, so he turned away, tilting dangerously as he looked for whatever it was Black wanted. He turned a corner and gasped. There were rows and rows of pods. He thought the clones had all fallen when Shiro’s cannon shattered the building, but Haggar apparently had been greedy.

He skidded down the walkway. The alarm was blaring nonstop, and the pod displays were flashing, and his head was  _ throbbing.  _ His cheek stung as the wind whipped past him. There were just so _ many.  _ How was he supposed to choose?

And of course the displays were in Altean, so he couldn't even read them. The lights started blinking on and off as he frantically ran down the aisle. He was just about to turn back when he saw one pod with a steady purple light.

He ran up, slamming his hands on the glass. He fumbled with his armor, trying to run a biometric scan - heart levels low, but strong. He looked at the panel, trying to figure out how to open the pod. He slammed his hand on each button, and suddenly the pod made a loud buzzing noise, and there was a gurgle as the liquid started draining away. 

He pressed his hands to the glass, watching the liquid  _ slowly _ drain. The facility shook again, almost knocking him off his feet. "Come on, come on, come on," he whispered. 

Finally the pod buzzed, and the glass vanished underneath his hands - sending a very wet, very unconscious Shiro tumbling down on top of him. "Whoa…" Keith said, catching him just in time. Shiro sagged against him, and whatever liquid he'd been sleeping in made it hard for Keith to hold on to him. Keith gritted his teeth, slinging Shiro over his shoulders. He walked as fast as he dared, terrified that he would slip and drop Shiro. He didn't know if he would have the strength to pick him up again. 

"It's ok, Shiro," he said, his breath catching in his chest with a wheeze. "We're almost there. Black will be there to take us home." 

Shiro was silent, and Keith ground his teeth, focusing on putting one foot in front of the other. The floor shook underneath him, and he slid toward the wall. He turned so his hip caught the wall instead of Shiro's leg, and he grunted, pushing himself away, back towards Black. The floor was tilting more and more, and he tried to go slow, but gravity got the better of him and sent him sliding toward the edge.

Thankfully Black was waiting, hatch open to catch them, and Keith let out a sob of relief as he finally crossed into the hold, letting his knees collapse underneath him. He gently lowered Shiro to the floor, brushing his wet floof away from his eyes.

_ You did well, little one, _ Black whispered in his mind, and Keith whimpered, clutching Shiro to his chest. His head was starting to swim, but he needed to move Shiro - he couldn't just let him lie on the floor. He stood, ignoring the shaking in his right leg, and scooped Shiro up. The ten short steps to the cockpit seemed to take years, but Keith did it, gently settling Shiro into the captain's seat. Shiro's head fell back, exposing his throat, giving Keith a chance to check his vitals. His pulse was still slow, but it was stronger than before, and his chest rose and fell with each breath. Alive. He was alive.

Keith stumbled back to the bunk to check on his Shiro, and he was lying just as Keith left him. Keith ran a scan, and his oxygen levels were normal, his heart rate steady.  _ Keith _ , Black whispered.  _ You should lie down. _

Keith barked out a laugh. He was lucky he was still standing. He rummaged under the bunk for the extra blanket and twisted it into a makeshift nest.  _ One plus side to two years on a side whale, is that you can sleep anywhere _ he thought blearily as unconsciousness swept over him. 

He fell into a dreamless sleep, but suddenly there was a voice. “Keith…. Keith…  _ Keith _ .” 

Shiro.

He opened his eyes and the sky erupted in color all around him - purple and blue and green in a constellation of stars as far as the eye could see. He looked down and gasped - his arms were a translucent lilac, and he realized he couldn’t feel anything. No wind, no warmth, not even his own touch.

He spun around, looking for Shiro. “What is this place? Where are we?”

“It’s ok, Keith. I know this must be confusing.”

Keith’s bayard appeared in his hand and he turned, looking for something, anything. “You - you tried to kill me, you said -”

Suddenly there was a light, shining over his shoulder. He turned and there was Shiro,  _ his  _ Shiro, smiling at him. “Shiro!” he said, his voice thick and rough, and he reached out to him. There was just the faintest glimmer of touch, of warmth, and he frowned in confusion. “What happened to you?”

“Everyone is fine,” Shiro said. “The other me - the one that attacked you - his plan didn’t work. The others are safe.”

Keith blinked. “How do you know?”

Shiro sighed. “That wasn’t me on that ship,” he said. “I’ve been here, in the astral plane, ever since my fight with Zarkon.”

“When you disappeared…” Keith murmured.

“Yes. The Black Lion preserved my consciousness somehow, but my body… I - I died, Keith.”

Keith stared, the colors sharpening all around him as his pupils shifted to their Galra state. 

“I tried to warn the others,” Shiro said. “But I wasn’t strong enough to reach them, I couldn’t…”

“So when you attacked me…”

“That wasn’t me,” Shiro said. “You have to believe me, I would never -”

“I know,” Keith said. “But I don’t think he would have either.”

Shiro blinked at him, and Keith felt himself starting to fade as his body woke up. “He thought he was  _ you _ , Shiro.”

Shiro gasped and Keith’s eyes flew open, blinking up at the ceiling inside the Black Lion. He rolled over to check on Shiro, and the Black Lion rumbled gently.  _ We’ll be home soon, little one, _ she said, and Keith sighed, brushing the hair away from Shiro’s face. He didn’t know how Allura was going to fix this.

**~ Shiro ~**

Shiro watched Keith check on the clones - his clones. Keith was limping slightly, and Shiro ached to hold him, to make him rest. But he could only watch helplessly while Keith went back and forth between the bunk and the cockpit, pacing anxiously. 

When they passed out of deep space, Keith sent a message to the castle of lions, standing in front of the controls to hide the clone from view. "Did you find Shiro?" Allura's voice rang out, tinny through the comms, and Keith looked over his shoulder.

"I found them."

"Them?" Lance squawked, and Keith's lips pressed into a thin line. 

"The Shiro that kidnapped Lotor - the Shiro that attacked us - he was a clone."

"What?" Lance and Allura yelped, and Shiro shuddered, his strength fading. The cockpit faded in and out, until Shiro was staring at the endless expanse of the astral plane, trapped. Again.

After that things blurred together - Shiro knew there was a battle - he heard Keith shouting orders, but he couldn’t follow them. He felt the Black Lion growl when the Castleship was lost, but he couldn’t understand what happened. He could only watch Keith helplessly, praying that he would be safe, that everything would be alright.

At one point the lions landed on a strange, rocky planet. Shiro stirred, watching Krolia duck out of the Black Lion while Keith held a hand out to the clone, winding an arm around his waist easily and helping him walk down the walkway. A few moments later, Keith came back for the other clone, scooping him up tenderly

Shiro sighed as the astral plane claimed him again, pulling him into the all-too-familiar sea of stars. What he wouldn’t give to feel the wind in his hair or the sun beaming down on his face. Or Keith’s arm around him.

The Black Lion’s rumble woke him up from his drifting, and he looked around, wondering what was happening.

Suddenly he heard Allura’s voice echoing through the astral plane. “Hello? Shiro?”

“Allura?” he asked, spinning in circles. But she was nowhere to be seen.

“Follow my voice,” she said, and Shiro let out a little huff.

“Where?”

“Here,” she said, and Shiro saw a burst of light out of the corner of his eye. He swept toward it, afraid it would vanish before he could reach it. But instead it grew bigger and bigger, until it blocked the stars. 

“It’s alright, Shiro,” Allura said. “Just follow me.” 

Shiro took a deep breath (metaphorically) and stepped forward, letting the light wash over him, overwhelming him. 

Suddenly he was looking out at the Black Lion, instead of through the Black Lion’s eyes. He recoiled from the light, but then his gaze turned towards the other paladins - and Keith, with the sleeping clone’s head in his lap.

Allura’s voice murmured, “It’s alright, Shiro,” and he realized that he was looking out of Allura’s eyes. 

“How are you even doing this?” he though, and Allura laughed, stepping forward.

“I don’t really know,” she admitted. The other Paladins jumped out of her way as she knelt down next to Keith and the clone. 

“Allura - how?” Keith whispered, and Shiro stared, struck by how broad Keith’s shoulders were, how  _ real _ he was. He was close enough for Allura to touch him - to actually touch him. 

“I don’t know,” she said. “I just… am.” She reached out, resting her right hand on the clone’s temple and her left hand over his sternum.

There was a horrible moment where nothing happened, and Shiro started to worry that he was trapped all over again. But then he felt a pull, and everything brightened, until he could barely stand to look at Keith. “Shiro!” Allura’s voice called, fainter than before. “You can let go now. You’re free.”

Shiro faltered for a heart-stopping moment, but then Keith looked up at Allura, his eyes full of hope, and Shiro let himself sink into Allura’s light, feeling it drag him out to sea.

There was nothing, not even the purple and blue sky of the astral plane. But then suddenly he  _ felt  _ \- his heart thudding in his chest, his breath catching in his lungs. His eyes flew open, and he looked up at Keith. Keith, in front of him, in the flesh. 

He took another breath, and he could feel the air scraping his throat, filling his lungs, and then rushing out, leaving him wrung out and raw. He blinked up at Keith, struck by the way the light caught his hair, turning it almost purple. He sat bolt upright and Keith’s hand reached out to hold him, to keep him upright, and his touch was searing. Shiro blinked up at the other Paladins, eyes shining with excitement and relief - and at the other clones, watching with a blank expression. 

Shiro swayed, and Keith’s arms tightened around him, guiding him back to his chest. Shiro let himself fall, knowing Keith could hold his weight. “You found me,” he whispered, but his voice was still so loud that it rang in his ears. Keith smiled softly down at him, that private smile Shiro had missed so much, and Shiro just wanted to stare at him forever.

The other Paladins came crowding in around him, hugging him so tightly that he  _ knew  _ this was real, that he was real. It was almost enough to make him cry. 

As they pulled away, chattering excitedly, Keith shook his head fondly, but he still stared down at Shiro, as if he might vanish if Keith took his eyes off of him. 

“What do we do now?” Lance’s voice asked. “We have Shiro back, but we don’t have the castle.” 

Keith’s smile widened. “We’re going home,” he said, his voice soft. He sounded so content, and Shiro let his eyes fall closed, safe in Keith’s arms.

**~ Kuro ~**

Shiro - no, Not Shiro - was in the way. 

He’d gotten used to the feeling of not quite fitting in his old role, or with the other Paladins, but now that everyone  _ knew  _ he was the wrong Shiro, that out-of-place feeling got even worse.

It didn’t help that there literally wasn’t room for everyone in the lions. Keith dropped Krolia off at a swap moon for a rendezvous with the Blades, but even that could only help so much now that the castleship was gone.

Keith tried to insist that both Shiros could fit in the Black Lion with him, but with the wolf too it was too cramped. Even for Keith’s undying optimism when it came to helping Shiro. Whether Not Shiro deserved it or not.

Romelle was already bunking with Allura in the Red Lion, and Coran was with Lance in Blue. Hunk had offered for Not Shiro to bunk with him, but he was so jumpy whenever Not Shiro was around that he didn’t think either of them would be able to stand that for more than a quintant. 

Finally Pidge had said, “He can ride with me,” with their jaw set, the way they did when they were going to be stubborn.

Keith’s eyes narrowed. “Are you sure?”

Pidge nodded. “It’ll give me a chance to check out the damage to his arm, see if I can mock up a design for a new arm.” 

_ It’ll let me keep an eye on him _ went unsaid. Keith opened his mouth, ready to argue, but Not Shiro said “Thanks, Pidge, that sounds great.”

Pidge nodded. “I’ll go set up the bunk for you,” they said, turning back toward Green.

Keith looked up at Not Shiro. “Are you sure?” His voice was soft, and it was gutting for Keith to show him that care - when Not Shiro couldn’t look away from the burn, still pink and fresh on his cheek. 

But Not Shiro just smiled. “You should be asking Pidge that.” Keith’s brow furrowed, and Not Shiro almost reached out to touch his shoulder, like before, but caught himself just in time. “I’ll be fine, Keith,” he said. “Shiro still needs you.”

Keith glanced over to Black - Shiro had been able to eat dinner with everyone today, but his vision was still so sensitive to the light that it made his head ache. He had been so apologetic when Keith had helped him walk up the ramp to rest in his bunk. But Not Shiro remembered that feeling of overwhelming brightness when he had finally escaped his prison - or been allowed to escape, at least. The way it made his head feel like it was going to split in two.

Keith still looked uncertain, so Not Shiro smiled. “It’s ok, Keith. You’ll see me tonight, right?”

Keith pursed his lips and Lance shouted, “Keith! Shouldn’t we leave?”

Keith huffed. “Let me know if you need anything,” he said, and Not Shiro nodded.

“Ok.” 

Keith’s eyes narrowed, but Lance called for him again, and he sighed. “Let me know, ok?”

“I will,” Not Shiro said, biting back a smile when Keith gave him that  _ I know you’re full of shit  _ look. Keith had always been able to see right through him.

He turned toward Green, and saw Pidge leaning against the doorframe. “Don’t touch anything,” they said. “I’ve been making some modifications to conserve power and I don’t need you blowing us both up.”

“Don’t touch anything, got it,” Not Shiro said, and Pidge squinted up at him for a second, before turning and walking toward the cockpit. 

Not Shiro stepped in after her, looking around. He hadn’t been inside Green since he and Pidge went to that jungle planet - ages ago now. “At least we don’t have to clear out all those leaves this time,” he said, and then he remembered - that hadn’t been him. He had never been there at all.

Pidge’s shoulders stiffened, and then they drooped. “I forget you have all his memories,” they said, their voice strained.

Not Shiro smiled apologetically. “Sorry. If it makes you feel better, I forget too.”

“Hmmm,” Pidge said. They sat down in the pilot’s chair, listening to Lance try to talk his pet cow into riding with Hunk, since Yellow had the most room. 

“I had a clear shot,” Pidge said suddenly, looking up at Not Shiro. He cocked his head, and they huffed out a sigh. “When you kidnapped Lotor.” They bit their lip, looking down at the metal gear in their hands. “But I didn’t take it.”

“I wouldn’t blame you if you had,” Not Shiro said, and Pidge’s head whipped up.

“I didn’t know you weren’t - weren’t  _ him _ ,” they whispered, and Not Shiro nodded.

“I didn’t know either.” He sank down onto the bunk slowly, and the tension slowly drained from Pidge’s shoulders. 

“Keith said there was a moment - at the facility - where you knew him,” Pidge said, and Not Shiro nodded, keeping his face carefully blank.

“Keith saved me,” he murmured. “I couldn’t break out of Haggar’s control, but part of me - the part of me that was still me - I didn’t think I would ever leave that platform. But Keith brought me back.”

“He shot himself through a wormhole to find you,” Pidge said, and Not Shiro almost choked on air.

“He  _ what?” _

“He said he knew you were still in there. That he had to save you.” Pidge looked at him appraisingly. “He said once you lost your arm, you knew him again.”

Not Shiro took a deep breath. “Yes.”

“Well,” Pidge said. “I’ll make you a new one, that Haggar can’t use to turn you into a remote-controlled zombie.” Not Shiro snorted, and Pidge made a face. “Sorry.”

“It’s ok,” Shiro said, unable to bite back his grin. Pidge grinned back.

“Ok,” they said, pulling out their notebook and a pen. They raised an eyebrow. “I’m glad I didn’t take the shot.”

“Me too,” Not Shiro said, and Pidge nodded, turning back to their notes. 

“Finally!” Lance gasped over the comms. “Ok, Kaltenecker is onboard, we’re good to go!”

“Typical,” Pidge grumbled, setting aside their notebook and pulling their helmet on. “Hold on tight back there!”

Not Shiro braced himself, and then they were airborne, on the way to break through the atmosphere.

***

They flew for what felt like days, and Not Shiro dozed on and off in his bunk, trying not to wonder what Shiro and Keith were doing. If Keith was thinking of him. If  _ Shiro  _ was thinking about him.

When they finally stopped on an uninhabited planet for the lions to recharge, Not Shiro helped Pidge start a fire, stacking the fire wood carefully around the kindling. 

“Hey, Other Shiro!” Lance called from his lion, and Keith bristled.

“You can’t call him ‘Other Shiro!’” Keith snapped, always so ready to defend him.

“Well, what am I supposed to call him?” Lance grumbled.

The others all turned and stared at him expectantly. He swallowed and caught Shiro’s eyes watching him, the glint of sunlight on his starlight hair.

Not Shiro gave Lance a slow, sly smile, and he heard Shiro murmur “Oh no.”

“What about Kuro?”

The others blinked, and Keith bit back a knowing laugh while Shiro  _ groaned _ . “No...  _ Black and White _ ? That’s such a bad joke!”

“Well, you are the king of dad jokes,” Lance said, and Kuro smirked at Shiro’s indignant spluttering.

"I can't believe you're naming yourself after Baba's cat," Shiro muttered.

Kuro shrugged. "You used to name everything Kuro - all your stuffed animals, your pet turtle, even your imaginary friend." Shiro gaped at him, still not used to the fact that Kuro could remember things he'd almost forgotten about. 

"I like it," Keith said, and Kuro grinned, victorious. Shiro sighed, but he was smiling a little, and Kuro took it as a win.

While the others worked on setting up a camping site, Kuro set off with Keith to find more firewood, and they wandered deeper into the trees, looking for brush and fallen branches.

"So…" Keith said, in his casual voice. "Is everything ok with Pidge?" 

Kuro smiled. "Yeah, Keith, I'm fine. You don't have to worry about me so much."

Keith rolled his eyes. "Kuro…" And Kuro laughed despite himself. Keith was always so determined to save Shiro from everything. Even himself.

Kuro picked up another branch, and Keith held his arms out to add it to the pile. "I mean it Keith," Kuro said, his voice soft. "You've done too much for me already."

Keith's face fell. "I should've noticed sooner, I should've done something…"

"But you did notice," Kuro murmured. Keith's eyes went wide, and Kuro shook his head. "You used to give me this look, like you knew I was… different. But you never said anything, you just accepted me."

Keith gave him a stricken look, clutching the wood to his chest, and Kuro smiled helplessly. "The only thing you did wrong was trying to take care of me."

Keith's cheeks flushed, and Kuro reached out, his fingers hovering over the angry red mark on Keith's jaw. He watched Keith swallow and pulled away, but Keith tilted his chin up stubbornly. "I'd do it again, Kuro."

Kuro's jaw dropped, and Keith's eyes softened. "As many times as it takes, remember?"

Kuro could only stare helplessly, and Keith bumped his shoulder against Kuro's. "Do you think we need more wood?"

Kuro looked down at Keith's armload of wood. "Maybe a little bit."

"Ok," Keith said easily. "If we run out we can always send Lance out to get more."

Kuro laughed, picking up another piece of wood. "Sounds like a plan."

**~ Shiro ~**

Shiro watched the Black Lion fall, his heart pounding so loud that it drowned out the shouting all around him.

“Green’s not responding!” Pidge yelled over the comms. 

“Preparing for a crash landing!” Hunk answered. 

“Brace for impact,” Keith said, and Shiro gripped the edge of the Atlas’ console so hard that his prosthetic dented the metal. 

“Where is our air support?” he gritted out.

Kinkade and Griffin chimed in that they were en route to intercept the Red Lion. “I have eyes on Black,” Kuro’s voice crackled over the comms, and Shiro sighed.

“The med team’s on its way,” Veronica murmured. “But it might take a while to reach them, their trajectories are so spread out.”

Shiro nodded, urging Atlas to fly faster, to get there before it was too late. But they hadn’t even broken the atmosphere yet, and there was no  _ time. _

The dust billowed up from the surface where the lions fell and Shiro swallowed, trying to keep his voice from shaking. “Paladins, status report.”

For a heart stopping moment there was nothing. Then a chorus of groans. “Blue’s unresponsive,” Lance said, his voice tight even through the comms. “I think my leg’s broken, but I’m in one piece.”

Veronica swayed on her feet, and Shiro reached out, squeezing her hand. “So glad to hear your voice,” Shiro said. “Med team is on the way, so just sit tight.”

Lance snorted. “Will do.”

“Green’s unresponsive too,” Pidge said. “I’m alright, I think I might have dislocated my shoulder…”

Hunk and Allura chimed in - Hunk was pinned in from where the pilot’s chair had tipped over, trapping him against the wall, and Allura had narrowly avoided clipping a mountain ridge, but she had managed to land with minimal injuries. 

But Keith was silent. 

“Atlas to the Black Lion,” Shiro said. “Keith, can you hear me?”

Static.

The med team had reached Lance, and was putting his leg in a splint when Kuro’s voice came over the comms. 

“I’m approaching the Black Lion on foot,” he said. “No movement so far.”

There was a squeal of metal on metal, and then Kuro’s voice, “Keith? Keith, can you hear me?”

Shiro’s breath was trapped in his throat as he heard Kuro sob. “Oh, Keith.”

Then - very faint, so faint the comms almost couldn’t pick it up - a cough. “K’ro?” 

“Yeah,” Kuro said, his voice delirious with relief. “It’s me, Keith, I’m so glad you’re ok…”

“K’ro, it hurts,” Keith whimpered, and Shiro swore. Keith never complained. Not when he sprained his wrist during a Garrison training exercise, not after his trials. Never. 

“How long till the med team reaches Black?” he asked Veronica, and she started murmuring into the comms.

Kuro’s voice echoed over the comms. “I know, baby.” Veronica glanced up at Shiro, her eyes wide. “The med team is on its way, we’re gonna get you patched up, ok?”

“Ok,” Keith whispered.

“Good, you’re doing so good,” Kuro said. “Can you tell me what hurts?”

“My - my head. And... my side.” Keith’s voice was strained and rough, and Kuro hummed soothingly.

“I think you might have broken some ribs. Got a pretty good cut too, Shiro’s never gonna let me hear the end of it if I don’t stop the bleeding…”

“Shiro?” Keith asked. 

“He’s coming,” Kuro promised. “He’ll be here soon, baby.”

“Tell him it’s ok,” Keith said. “Tell him everything’s going to be ok.”

“I will,” Kuro said, his voice strangled.

Keith coughed again, and then groaned. “It’s ok, Kuro,” he said. “You saved me.”

“As many times as it takes, right?” Kuro said. “It’s about time I finally saved you.”

“Kuro…” Keith said, scolding even now, and then he coughed. “Ugh…”

“Where is the damn med team?” Kuro hissed, and Veronica started checking in to the comms again, her voice hushed and urgent.

Atlas chimed in the back of Shiro’s mind.  _ Med team almost to the Black Lion. _

_ Tell them to fucking hurry _ , Shiro growled. 

Kuro’s voice filtered through the comms, “You’re doing great, the med team is on the way.”

“That’s good,” Keith said, fainter now, and Kuro’s voice rang out, sharper.

“Stay with me, ok, Keith? You’ve got to stay awake for me.” 

“Trying…” Keith mumbled.

“I know,” Kuro whispered. “Just hold on a little while longer, ok?” 

Then there were voices, and boots on metal. “They’re here, ok, Keith?” Kuro said, and then there was a flurry of voices that Shiro couldn’t follow.

Eventually the voices faded, and Kuro said, “I’m returning to base, will debrief when I land.”

“Copy,” Shiro said. “Thank you, Kuro.”

Kuro hummed, and disconnected the comms.

***

It was chaos when Atlas finally,  _ finally, _ landed and all Shiro wanted to do was go to the infirmary, but first he had to debrief, and go over reports, and all the other bureaucratic Garrison garbage. It was 2 am and Veronica was barely able to stay upright when Shiro finally said, “Dismissed, Lieutenant. Go check on your brother.”

Veronica sighed, “Thank you, Captain,” and turned to leave, but Sanda’s voice rang out behind them.

“You have no authority to do that, Shirogane!”

Veronica froze and Shiro’s patience, already hanging by a thread, finally snapped. “Admiral, it’s 0200 hours,” he said. “The threat was neutralized. What good does it do to run everyone ragged?”

“I’ll excuse this insubordination as a result of your jaunt to space,” Sanda said, and Shiro was ready to scream. “But you’ll have to remember that here on earth, there’s a chain of command.”

Shiro shrugged. “Fine. Good luck finding a new mech pilot.”

Sanda gaped at him, and he turned to Veronica. “Let’s go to the infirmary.”

They set off together, and as soon as they turned the corner Veronica broke out in a breathless laugh. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen Sanda so shocked.” She glanced up at him. “She will try to replace you, though.”

Shiro shrugged. “I think according to the Garrison, I’m still officially dead, so they can try explaining why they’re decommissioning a dead pilot.”

When they finally reached the infirmary, Shiro breathed in that familiar, sharp disinfectant smell. He peeked in at Lance, who was sleepy from the pain medication, so they traded waves and Shiro ducked out, to give Veronica some privacy. 

Pidge and Hunk were sleeping, and Allura was in the middle of a complicated Altean game that Shiro couldn’t understand. And then he was outside Keith’s door, and he took a deep breath and rapped on the door gently, peeking into the room.

Keith was laying in the bed, looking heartbreakingly frail, and by his knees, Kuro was curled up in the horrifically uncomfortable hospital chairs, resting his forehead on his arms. 

Shiro whispered, “Kuro,” and Kuro sat bolt upright, blinking up at him.

“Oh - Shiro,” he said, rubbing at his eyes. “I didn’t hear you come in.”

“How is he?”

“He’s stable,” Kuro said. “He lost consciousness on the flight here, and he hasn’t woken up since. They don’t really know why, maybe it’s a Galra thing?” He yawned behind his hand. “I sent a message to the Blades, Krolia should be coming in tomorrow.”

Shiro stepped around the bed, wrapping an arm around Kuro’s shoulders. “You should get some rest.”

But Kuro shook his head. “I can’t just leave him, I don’t want him to wake up alone.” 

Shiro nodded. They both had a few too many memories of sleepless nights in hospital rooms to want to leave Keith alone in the dark. 

“I can stay,” Shiro offered , and Kuro gave him a look. 

“Like you’re not as dead on your feet as I am.” He sighed, stretching out a crick in his neck. “I guess that means we’re both staying?”

Shiro shrugged, his lips twitching up. “I guess we’re both  _ dead set  _ on staying.” and Kuro rolled his eyes hard enough to give himself a headache. Shiro dragged a rickety chair from the corner and set it next to Kuro’s while he was distracted. 

“You’re the worst,” Kuro said, with no heat in it, and Shiro snorted.

“Hey, you started it with ‘dead on your feet.’” Kuro swatted at him and Shiro laughed. 

He collapsed in the chair, looking down at Keith, looking so small in the hospital bed. Shiro bumped his shoulder against Kuro’s. “Thanks. For bringing our boy home.”

Kuro nodded, looking at Keith so tenderly, and Shiro bit his lip,  _ baby  _ echoing through his mind.  _ Baby baby baby. _

“Thanks for coming,” Kuro murmured, and Shiro looked up at him. 

“Not even Sanda threatening to fire me could keep me away.”

“She did  _ what?”  _ Kuro snapped, before he froze and looked down at the bed, to see if he’d woken Keith.

“I told Veronica she can have fun trying to fire the pilot that’s still officially declared dead,” Shiro said, and Kuro laughed.

“I’d love to be a fly on the wall for that meeting.” 

Shiro snorted and Kuro winked at him. Shiro shook his head and Kuro leaned back, pursing his lips thoughtfully. The silence settled around them, a comforting weight, and Shiro felt his eyelids starting to droop.

Kuro yawned. “I’m glad you’re here, Shiro.”

“You too,” Shiro murmured. “We haven’t been all together like this since those first days in Black, have we?”

Kuro shook his head, letting his arms rest on Keith’s bed the way they had been when Shiro came in. He closed his eyes. “I’m not going to sleep,” he said stubbornly. “I’m just resting my eyes.”

“Uh huh,” Shiro set, mimicking his pose. Just for a minute. He blinked over at Kuro, whose breathing was already evening out, and he closed his eyes. Surely it couldn’t hurt to close them for just a second.

Soon enough they were both snoring softly, lulled to sleep by the steady beeping of Keith’s heart monitor, a promise that he would be ok. 

**~ Keith ~**

Keith was going to lose his mind.

As if it wasn’t bad enough being stuck up in a hospital bed, he was stuck in the infirmary at the Garrison. He had to deal with the same old secrecy, the smug “it’s need to know” whenever he asked a question. He thought he’d finally escaped the chain of command, but it turns out that even as the Black Paladin, he was still just a dropout to the brass.

What he wouldn't give for one of the Castle’s healing pods.

They had banned the wolf from the hospital wing after she growled at one of the nurses, who turned out to be tried a scientist sent in along with the real nurse, to try to get more information out of their half-human, half-Galra patient. “Just getting another sample,” he said innocently, but the wolf had growled and Krolia had given them a look that sent them both running. He missed the wolf, but at least the new nurse seemed nice enough.

And Kuro helped too. No one knew quite what to do with him - a perfect copy of the Garrison Golden Boy, but he kept his hair much too long to meet regulation now, and he refused to wear a uniform. “I’ll put on the uniform when it’s my name on the contract,” he snapped when one of Sanda’s minions pestered him one too many times, and Keith had bitten back a laugh at the startled look on his face. Clearly he had been expecting polite, long-suffering Shiro. 

Keith sighed. Kuro was dozing in the chair next to his bed. (Even though he’d told him to go sleep in a real bed. He would be fine for one night.) Shiro was probably still working, with no one to force him to get dinner, to take a break. Usually Keith had been there to do that, or sometimes Hunk, but now that Shiro was going to be an Admiral the Garrison was working him harder than ever. 

Just then there was a tap on the door, and Keith looked up - and beamed at Shiro. 

“Shiro!” he whispered, and Shiro grinned.

“Hopefully you weren’t sleeping,” he whispered, tiptoeing in. “I meant to come by earlier, I just got caught up…”

“It’s ok, Shiro,” Keith said. “I know you’re busy, I just hate that they’re making you do so much.”

“I know, there’s just… so much to do,” Shiro said with a helpless shrug and Keith smiled wistfully.

“I know.” He leaned back against the pillows, making space for Shiro to sit on the bed. Shiro sank down onto the mattress with a huff, and Keith pursed his lips. “It was easier to put up with the Garrison’s bullshit before they left you for dead and kicked me out.”

Shiro chuckled, but his brow furrowed. “Yeah. Sanda’s still furious she couldn’t demote me for insubordination, but the brass is worried about ‘optics.’”

Keith frowned. “Too bad they care more about optics than people.”

“Yeah,” Shiro said, sounding tired. But he smiled. “But enough about the Garrison - how’re you feeling?”

“Better,” Keith said. “I want to get out of here, but…” He shrugged, pursing his lips the way Lance would call a pout even though he definitely wasn’t pouting.

“They’re just being careful,” Shiro said. “We were all really worried about you.”

Keith bit his lip, looking down at the blanket. “Sorry.”

“Wha- don’t be sorry!” Shiro said, his voice an urgent whisper as he leaned closer. “Keith, I - I thought you might -” He closed his eyes and Keith reached out to squeeze his hand.

“But I didn’t. I’m right here.”

Shiro glanced down at Keith’s hand - the one connected to the IV. “I know. It’s just… I don’t know how you could stand it when I disappeared, because I - I just couldn’t…”

Keith squeezed his hand again and Shiro shook his head, gave him a watery smile. “Why do you think Kuro’s here? I think he’s worried that if he leaves…”

Keith looked over at Kuro, his face so boyish in sleep, and swallowed. “I think that’s the only way I could stand it when you were gone.” He looked back up at Shiro. “I couldn’t go to space, so I just looked and looked for Blue. Like, maybe if I found what I was looking for, you would come back.” 

He looked down at their hands, entwined on top of the blanket. “And after Zarkon, I just… didn’t stop looking for you. Because if I stopped looking…” His eyes stung and he reached up with his right hand to scrub at them. 

He felt the bed shift, and then Shiro’s hand on his shoulder, skimming along his back to wrap his arm around him. “I’m sorry,” Shiro murmured into his hair, and Keith let out a little hiccuping breath. 

“Now you’re apologizing for things that aren’t your fault,” he said, huffing out a laugh. He could feel Shiro’s breath ghosting over his skin when he chuckled, and it sent a shiver down his spine.

“Ridiculous,” Keith said, and Shiro laughed again.

“Can’t argue with that,” Shiro said easily. Keith hated that he looked so tired - the circles under his eyes were getting darker by the day. 

Shiro let out a questioning hum. “What’s wrong?”

“You just look tired.”

“Ouch,” Shiro teased, but Keith shook his head.

“No, they make you do too much. And they won’t let me do anything!”

Shiro pulled him closer, and Keith leaned against his chest. “Your only job is to get better,” Shiro said, and Keith rolled his eyes.

“Well, somebody needs to tell Sanda to fuck off and let you sleep occasionally.”

Shiro let out a bark of laughter and they both froze, turning to look at Kuro, who mumbled something in his sleep, but didn’t wake up. 

“Sorry,” Shiro whispered, and Keith snorted, swatting at his shoulder.

“I’ll do it,” he warned. “What’s she going to do? I don’t work for the Garrison anymore.”

Shiro smirked down at him, impossibly fond. “Keith.”

“I will,” Keith said stubbornly, but Shiro just shook his head at him.

“You gonna save me again, Kogane?” he asked, and Keith raised an eyebrow. 

“I said as many times as it takes, didn’t I?”

“Yeah,” Shiro breathed, holding Keith close again. “Yeah, you did.”

***

Keith was determined to cuss out Sanda, and Iverson, and the rest of the Garrison brass, but it turned out that Kuro beat him to it. 

Once all the Paladins were on their feet again (Lance was surprisingly fast on his crutches), the Garrison called for a meeting to discuss the chain of command. Because of course they did.

It became very clear very quickly that they just expected the Paladins - and the lions - to answer to the Garrison. “That’s not going to happen,” Allura said firmly, and Sanda bit the inside of her cheek.

“Well, four of the five Paladins are Garrison officers, so it makes sense...” she said, and Keith’s eyebrows shot up to his hairline.

“No, they’re not,” Kuro said, and Sanda gave him her most patronizing face.

“What do you mean?”

“Last I heard, you expelled Keith when he was still a cadet,” Kuro said, and Keith fought to keep his face blank as Sanda sputtered.

“He - dropped out, that wasn’t our responsibility!”

“And you declared Shiro dead,” Kuro said, his eyes glinting silver in the light. “Unless the rules have changed, Shiro’s already fulfilled his side of the contract.”

“But he’s not really dead!” Sanda spluttered.

“I was, though,” Shiro said softly. Ten pairs of eyes turned to stare at him, and he shrugged. “I know you’ve been wanting to poke at Kuro, the way you did with Keith,” he said, his voice sharp as ice, and the Garrison brass shrank back. “But neither of us are the Takashi Shirogane that you knew.”

“Impossible!” Iverson snapped.

“You can check my DNA if you don’t believe us,” Shiro said airily. “Although I would think that Kuro would be evidence enough.”

“Well…” Sanda said, with an unpleasant smile. Keith never liked that look. “If you’re not a Garrison officer, you’ll no longer be able to fly the Atlas. So you can either sign a new contract, or…”

“Excuse me,” Allura said primly. “I wasn’t aware that the Atlas was a Garrison vessel.”

Sanda and Iverson stared at her, aghast, and Lance had to hide his smile behind his hand. 

“Well, the Atlas was grounded until we used the crystal from the castleship, wasn’t it?” she said. “I thought it was just such a lovely symbol - Terran and Altean engineering, coming together.”

Sanda was chewing the inside of her cheek now, and Allura continued in her most terrifyingly enthusiastic voice, “So it seemed like the perfect flagship for the Coalition fleet.”

“Young lady -” Iverson said, and Coran coughed pointedly. “Princess - that ship is the height of our space exploration program, we can’t just donate it to the Coalition.”

“I understand,” Allura said sadly. “I suppose we’ll have to take the crystal back then.” She smiled benevolently at their stricken faces. “We’ll need some way to power the Coalition ship, after all.” The Garrison officers stared at each other, horrified, and Keith almost felt sorry for them. Almost.

After that, it didn’t take long at all for the Atlas to officially be designated as the first official Coalition vessel - and for Lance, Hunk, and Pidge to turn in their resignations. 

“That was amazing!” Pidge said in a hushed voice, about to vibrate out of their skin with glee. “Allura, you deserve an Oscar for that!!”

Allura frowned. “You mean the fuzzy green puppet who counts?”

“No,” Lance said, giving her the most tooth-rotting besotted smile Keith had ever seen. “An Oscar like a movie award. You’re thinking of the puppet from Sesame Street.”

“How on earth does Allura know what Sesame Street is?” Hunk asked, bemused, and Allura laughed. 

"Lance’s little nephew showed me when he visited,” she said. “It was very charming.”

“Is it as good as Clanmurel’s Cosmology?” Coran asked, and the others stared at each other blankly.

“Of course not, nothing will ever be as good as Clanmurel’s Cosmology,” Allura assured him, patting his arm. But when his back was turned she shook her head at the others.

“I think this is a cause for celebration!” Coran said. “Let’s venture out to try some of this human food I’ve heard so much about!”

Kuro offered to fly the shuttle, since the others weren’t cleared to ride the hoverbikes yet and Lance was still on crutches, so while they waited for him to sign out the speeder Keith bumped his shoulder against Shiro’s. “How does it feel to be a free man?”

“Really good,” Shiro said with a grin. "Really excited to never put on this uniform again."

Keith gave him an appraising look. "You should burn it."

"What?" Shiro asked, and Keith snorted at the shocked look on his face.

"Can I burn mine too?" Pidge asked. "I'm tired of looking like a human traffic cone."

"Pidge -" 

"Yeah, these aren't nearly sexy enough," Lance said. "Plus who wants to be an officer if it means you'll have to wear that ugly gray?"

"I'm not sure you're supposed to burn this fabric?" Hunk said, ever the voice of reason. "I'm pretty sure this is some super fake polyester blend."

"Oh it definitely is," Keith said. He smirked up at Shiro. "We can just stand upwind."

Shiro bit back a grin and Keith preened. 

Kuro pulled up with the shuttle. "What'd I miss?"

"We're burning our uniforms!" Pidge said, and Kuro grinned.

"Good. I'll bring the matches."

"Do you think he's a little too excited?" Shiro whispered, and Keith laughed.

But even Shiro had to admit it was satisfying to watch them slowly, slowly, dissolve into ash. Pidge wrinkled their nose. "I don't even want to know what they used to make these fire resistant," they said, filming the fire on their PADD from a safe 20 feet away.

"Maybe it's good we didn't make s'mores," Lance said, as if it hadn't taken Hunk and Pidge to talk him out of going on a last minute hunt for marshmallows.

"Probably," Shiro said, looking more relaxed than he had in years. The fire crackled loudly, sending sparks flying, and Kuro whooped. Keith laughed, catching Shiro's eye. He could hardly believe that they finally had a chance to chart their own course. It felt too good to be true.

**~ Shiro ~**

Shiro checked the logs one more time, just to quadruple check that they were still on course. The Atlas was on its first diplomatic mission, and he really didn't want to arrive late for the summit on Olkarion. 

Satisfied that they were on target, Shiro finally left the bridge. It was late, but if he hurried he might be able to get some dinner before the kitchens closed.

He was just passing the hangar when he noticed that the lights were still on, and when he peeked through the door he saw a very familiar pair of boots sticking out from under one of the new flyers.

Kuro waved when he came over. "Just going over the steering rack," he said. "The handling felt a little splashy on my last run."

Shiro hummed, settling down on the ground next to him. Kuro grabbed a rag to trying to get the grease off his hands, and Shiro said, "You know I used to spend too much time on my jet on earth, right?"

Kuro laughed, ducking his head. "Right. Should've known better than to try to get anything past you." 

Shiro smiled gently. "At least this time I'm pretty sure it's not over a fight with the brass," he said, and Kuro smirked.

"No, it's just… I had a dream about the clone facility, and I can't seem to shake it." He tried to smile, but it didn't reach his eyes. "I don't know how Keith can stand to look at me after everything that happened." He tossed the rag over toward the toolbox. "He should hate me."

Shiro swallowed. "Keith doesn't hate you," he said softly. "He never did."

Kuro huffed out a laugh, shaking his head. "You should hate me too," he murmured. "Why don't you?"

Shiro took a deep breath, reaching out to squeeze Kuro's shoulder. "It hurt, at first, that no one noticed," he admitted. He closed his eyes. "But I saw you, in Black. I felt you."

Kuro blinked at him, shocked, and Shiro said gently, "You cared so much, and you were trying so hard. I remembered that. I lived that." He bit his lip. "I watched you cry for weeks in the cockpit when Keith left."

Kuro ducked his head, his eyes wet, and Shiro reached up, brushing away the tears threatening to spill. "I don't hate you," Shiro murmured. "How could I hate you for feeling the same things I did?"

Kuro let out a sob, and Shiro curled his arm around him, pulling him into his chest. It should feel strange, or awkward, but Shiro just held him close, let Kuro shake apart in his arms. 

"How could you forgive me?" Kuro mumbled into his chest. "I can't even forgive myself."

Shiro hummed, running his hand up and down Kuro's back absentmindedly. "I don’t feel like I deserve Keith," he finally said. "He's saved me so many times, and I just - I never felt like I could deserve him." 

He closed his eyes, took a long, slow breath. It hurt more than he thought it would to say it out loud. Kuro looked up at him, his brow furrowed and his eyes rimmed with red. Shiro smiled weakly. "But Keith thinks I deserve him, and I finally had to just… believe him."

Kuro pursed his lips, and Shiro smiled gently. "I know that's not really our forte."

Kuro snorted. "Not really." He sat up, running his metal fingers through his hair. It was longer than Shiro had ever worn it, but it looked good. It suited him. 

Kuro swayed back into Shiro's space, bumping his shoulder against Shiro's. "Thank you."

"Anytime," Shiro said. "Unfortunately the Garrison therapist didn't cover how to handle any of this before the Kerberos mission."

Kuro laughed. "No kidding."

Shiro bit his lip. "Maybe… maybe we should try again. With a different doctor."

Kuro froze, his eyes wide, but then he nodded. "Maybe."

Shiro put a hand on his shoulder, and then the hangar doors slid open, and they both spun around, only relaxing when they saw it was Keith.

"Hey," he said softly. "Not going for a joyride without me, are you?"

Shiro shook his head, wincing when he saw how late it was. "No we just got… distracted."

Keith smirked, holding out the bag of to-go boxes he'd been hiding behind his back. "Well, I figured you both skipped dinner, which would've been terrible since it's dumpling night…"

Kuro jumped up. "Thank you, thank you, thank you," he said, throwing his arms around Keith. 

Keith laughed, turning pink as he handed a box to Kuro. It was unfair how pretty he looked, even with a grease smudge on his cheek.

Keith caught him looking and raised an eyebrow. "Don't you want some?"

"Yep!" Shiro said, jumping to his feet and taking the box with a murmured thanks. They ate in the shadow of Kuro's flyer and Shiro listened to Kuro and Keith talk about their day, happy to just let their voices wash over him.

***

Later, Shiro was trying (and failing) to fall asleep when Keith came to his room after his own bout of insomnia, looking so worn out that Shiro steered him over to his bed, tucking the blankets in around him. Keith tried to protest, but he was already struggling to keep his eyes open the instant his head hit the pillow. 

Shiro turned to leave, but Keith’s hand caught his wrist, pulling him back toward the bed. “Stay,” Keith whispered, and Shiro was powerless to resist. He slipped in next to him, and Keith let out a sleepy little chirp, nuzzling in even closer. Hardly daring to breathe, Shiro draped his arm over Keith’s waist, and Keith sighed, going completely pliant in Shiro’s arms. It didn’t take long at all for Keith to drift off to sleep with his fingers tangled in Shiro's shirt, but Shiro was awake for a long time, just listening to Keith’s soft and steady breathing. Proof that he was alive and safe. That they both were.

After that Keith or Kuro would turn up to Shiro's room every few days, until he hardly spent any nights alone. (The wolf was apparently very pleased to have Keith’s bed all to herself, but she would appear in Shiro’s room and pounce on them if she got lonely.) They seemed to think he was doing them some kind of favor, but it - it helped. To have a warm body next to him, to remember that he was here. Waking up from a dream about the astral plane was easier with Kuro or Keith's slow, measured breaths, a reminder that he was real.

One night, after too many meetings and diplomatic headaches he set off for the gym, desperate to work out the lingering anxiety underneath his skin. He found Kuro dueling 5 bots at once and joined in, taking Kuro's six like they'd been doing it for years. 

When they were both panting for breath, Shiro dragged Kuro to the locker room to rinse off, and then herded him toward his room. They stumbled on Keith about to key in, and he turned bright pink, mumbling some apology. But Shiro just pressed his hand to the lock, guiding them both to the bedroom and collapsing onto the mattress, holding his hand out in a silent invitation. 

Keith and Kuro glanced at each other, and then Keith stepped forward, resting his knee on the edge of the bed. Shiro smirked up at him, tugging on his hand, and Keith rolled his eyes, biting back a smile as he let Shiro pull him into bed. 

Kuro stood, wide-eyed, and Shiro raised an eyebrow. "Come on, Kuro," he said softly, and Keith leaned into Shiro's space to try to make room. 

Kuro crawled into bed, looking shy, and Shiro scooched over to give them more space. "Atlas, lights down," he said, and the lights dimmed. Keith fell back into the pillows and sighed out, and Kuro chuckled, brushing Keith's hair out of his mouth. Shiro snorted and closed his eyes. "Goodnight," Keith murmured, already sleepy, and Kuro's eyes met Shiro's.

"Sleep tight," Kuro said, and Shiro smiled.

"Don't let the bed bugs bite," he teased, and Keith swatted at his chest. 

"No bugs," he mumbled, and Shiro laughed.

"Sorry. No bugs." Keith scrunched up his nose at him and Shiro huffed out a laugh, letting his eyes drift shut as he melted into the pillows.

In the morning, he woke up in a tangle of limbs, feeling more rested than he had in - he didn't know how long. At least since Earth. 

Keith blinked down at him, looking so sleep-rumpled and sweet, and Kuro mumbled something unintelligible in his sleep, tightening his arm around Keith's waist. 

After that Kuro and Keith spent more nights in Shiro's room than their own, until their toothbrushes were next to Shiro's by the bathroom sink, and their clothes were taking over his drawers. Somehow that didn't stop them from stealing all of his sweatshirts, making him feel warm and flustered whenever he saw Keith in a too-big sweatshirt with bare legs, leaning against Kuro while they waited for the water to boil for tea.

One morning Shiro woke up late - later than he had in ages. He blinked, looking down to see both Kuro and Keith still asleep beside him. He was just about to close his eyes, to let himself drift off again, when he heard soft footsteps.

Hunk stepped into the doorway, with a prosthetic prototype in his hands. Shiro shook his head, but Hunk’s eyes went as big as saucers when he saw the three of them tangled up under the blankets. Shiro watched him clap a hand over his eyes, almost in slow motion.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry!" he stuttered, loud enough to shatter the silence. 

"What is it?" Kuro asked, his voice rough with sleep, and Keith squeezed his eyes shut, grumbling under his breath. 

"I didn't see anything!" Hunk said desperately.

"There's nothing to see!" Shiro said, feeling a blush spread all the way up to his ears. 

Keith looked up, and squeaked. "Hunk!" he yelped, ducking under the blankets. 

"I didn't mean to! I thought Shiro would already be awake! I told him it'd be ready today!"

"What's ready?" Kuro asked, squinting up at Hunk. 

"The new prosthetic prototype," Hunk said, waving it with one hand while the other covered his eyes. "But it's fine, I'll just… I'll go, let you guys get decent, and I can show you later!"

"We are decent!" Shiro protested, but Hunk was already beating a hasty retreat. 

"Oh my god," Keith whispered. Kuro patted the shock of dark hair poking out from under the blankets.

"At least it wasn't Lance," he said soothingly. "Half the ship would've heard about it by lunch."

Keith pulled the sheet down, gaping at Kuro in horror, and Shiro laughed helplessly, flopping back into bed.

"Well, no chance of going back to sleep now," he mumbled to the ceiling, dragging himself out of bed. "I'm gonna go brush my teeth," he said, bolting to the bathroom so he could scream internally without the others noticing.

Thankfully things weren't  _ too  _ weird afterwards. Hunk was a little chattier than normal when he went to check on the prototype, but other than that, nothing had really changed.

Until the next time they went to the gym to spar.

It was late - so late they had the whole gym to themselves, which was the ultimate luxury on a ship as busy as the Atlas. 

Keith was a livewire, moving like quicksilver in Kuro’s hands, so bright and fierce it took Shiro’s breath away. Watching was almost as good as sparring himself, and he watched closely as they spun.

Kuro might have the height and reach advantage, but training with the Blades had given Keith a leg-up in fights with taller opponents. Literally.

Faster than Shiro’s eyes could catch, Keith jumped up, catching Kuro’s shoulder with his thigh and slamming him down onto the mat. Kuro tried to roll away, clutching at Keith, but Keith pinned his left arm behind his back, reaching around to press Kuro’s right hand to his chest. “Yield,” he said, so smug.

Kuro let out a broken, needy, “Keith.” 

Shiro sucked in a breath. How many times had he been in that position, weak and yearning in Keith’s arms?

Keith scrambled away. “Kuro? Did I hurt you?” he asked, hands hovering over his back, afraid to touch or move him in case it hurt more. 

“No,” Kuro mumbled into the mat. “I’m fine.”

Keith frowned. “Kuro…” he said, worried. Kuro huffed and rolled onto his back, his rucked-up shirt revealing his belly - and his cock, hard in his leggings. “Oh,” Keith whispered and Kuro hid his face in his hands.

“It’s - it’s fine, Kuro,” Keith said, his cheeks flushed. “It’s natural…”

“No,” Kuro said, daring to peek at Keith. “It’s you, Keith.”

Keith blinked at him, his lips forming a perfect oh, and then he dove down, plastering himself to Kuro’s chest. “Kiss me?” he breathed and Kuro blinked up at him. “Please?” Keith whispered, and Kuro reached up, tangling his fingers’ in Keith’s hair and tugging him down for a kiss.

Keith kissed Kuro with the same fire and intensity he did everything, and Kuro kissed him hungrily, knotting his metal fingers in Keith’s shirt to pull him closer. Keith melted in his arms, whimpering into his mouth, and none of Shiro’s dreams could compare to this.

Shiro should get up, should give them some privacy. But he was rooted to the spot, unable to force himself to move.

So of course Keith’s eyes met his when he finally sat up, gasping for breath. Keith flushed pink up to his ears, and he hardly seemed to notice that he was straddling Kuro's hips. Or what it was doing to Shiro. He tried to apologize, to say something, but the sight of Keith, well-kissed and hair-mussed, left him speechless.

Kuro tilted his head back to look at Shiro. “Like what you see, Admiral?” he asked, knowing and sly as his hands slid down to rest on Keith’s thighs. 

Keith’s eyes widened and he shook his head. “Kuro…”

“He does,” Kuro said, his lips kiss-swollen and red. “Just look at him.”

Shiro bit his lip, unable to tear his eyes away. “Shiro?” Keith asked, holding his hand out, and Shiro rushed to him obediently. When had he ever been able to deny Keith?

Keith took his hand and tugged until Shiro was kneeling next to them. “Keith…” Shiro said, and his voice sounded rough to his own ears. Keith stared at him, searching his face for something. He must have found what he was looking for, because he smirked, with that competitive glint in his eye.

"Do you want to kiss me?" he asked.

"Keith…" Shiro said, his voice strained.

Keith raised an eyebrow. "If you want to kiss me, then kiss me," he murmured, tilting his chin up. 

Shiro's breath hitched in his chest, and then he was cupping Keith's face in his hands. Keith gave him a small smile, so sweet, and Shiro leaned in, pressing his lips to Keith's. 

Keith sighed, clinging to Shiro's forearms for balance, and Shiro hummed, low in his throat. Keith's lips were warm and soft, but then Shiro tilted his head to deepen the kiss and one of Keith's canines caught on his lip, just shy of too sharp. It sent a pleasant zing of warmth down Shiro's spine and he crooned. 

Shiro heard a muttered "Fuck," from below, and he and Keith turned to look down at Kuro. He smiled up at them, somehow both aroused and sheepish, as if he was the one intruding. 

Shiro's heart ached - he knew that anxiety, the bone deep fear that he would be left on the outside looking in. "Kuro…" he whispered, tracing little circles against Kuro's hip.

Kuro swallowed, his eyes wide and dark, and Shiro let his fingers run up Kuro's hip, up his side, until he splayed his metal fingers across Kuro's chest. Kuro's eyes went heavy-lidded and he squirmed so much that he almost bucked Keith off. "Please," he breathed, and Shiro let himself fall into Kuro's orbit. 

It should feel vain, or narcissistic, but Kuro moaned against his lips and all Shiro could feel was pleasure. Kuro reached up, running his fingers through Shiro's undercut, and Shiro shuddered, licking into his mouth. Kuro sucked on his tongue and Shiro sighed, knotting his fingers in Kuro's shirt.

Suddenly he felt Keith's slender fingers scratching down his spine, sending a shiver all the way down to Shiro's toes. He pressed a quick kiss to Kuro's lips and looked up at Keith. 

Keith looked down at him, heavy-lidded and hungry, and he took turns kissing them each in turn. "So good," he whispered into Shiro's ear, and Shiro gasped, ready to fall apart at the merest hint of praise on Keith's lips. 

Kuro's hand ran up Keith's thigh, his fingers catching on the waistband of Keith's pants. Keith leaned into the touch, biting his lip. "I - I want…" he whispered, and Shiro looked down at Kuro, who gave him a nod. 

"Anything, Keith," he said, breathless. "Anything you want."

Keith beamed, so bright and sunny, and whistled for the wolf. She zapped into existence with a flash of blue, and Keith ran his fingers through her ruff. "Take us to the admiral's room?" he asked, and with a woof the wolf obliged, dragging them from the gym to Shiro's room.

**~ Kuro ~**

The wolf poofed them straight onto Shiro’s bed in a big pile, and Kuro was  _ sure  _ he saw her give them a judgmental look before she disappeared again. “Bad wolf!” Keith whispered, trying to untangle himself. His cheeks were flushed, and he looked so flustered and shy somehow. 

Shiro wrapped an arm around his waist, tugging him close and nuzzling into his throat. Keith moaned helplessly, and Kuro cooed at him, letting his hand slide under Keith’s shirt. Keith shivered at the touch and Kuro grinned, tilting up to nip at Keith’s mouth.

Shiro tipped Keith’s head back to kiss him, his hand resting possessively on Keith’s throat. Keith keened into Shiro’s mouth, and Kuro felt his blood run hotter at the sight of Shiro’s thumb rubbing a gentle circle over Keith’s pulse point.

Shiro leaned down and whispered in Keith’s ear, “Do you want to fuck Kuro?” 

Keith gasped and his gaze caught Kuro’s and  _ held _ . Kuro bit his lip, letting his legs fall open, and he caught a glimpse of fang when Keith smiled. He crawled forward, pushing Kuro down into the pillows. He pulled his shirt over his head, smirking at Kuro’s besotted expression. He pushed Kuro’s shirt up and Kuro held his arms up so Keith could sucke a bruise into the soft part of Kuro’s belly, running his fingers along the edge of Kuro’s waistband. 

Kuro nodded, overeager and needy and Shiro chuckled. “Don’t mind me,” he said, kissing down Keith’s spine.

Keith shuddered, but he tried to focus on getting Kuro out of his pants. It was a bit of a struggle with all three of them wrapped up in each other, but they managed it in the end. 

Keith looked over his shoulder at Shiro. “Do you have lube?”

Kuro leaned over, rummaging through the bedside table. He turned back with the lube bottle in his hand in time to see Keith give Shiro a knowing smirk while Shiro’s ears turned pink. “I had a hunch,” Kuro teased, and Keith laughed, holding his hand out for the lube. 

Kuro’s cock was already starting to drip pre on his belly, and he gasped at the first touch of Keith’s fingers, letting his head fall back on the pillow. “Relax, baby,” Shiro murmured, and Kuro tried, but it was hard with both of their eyes watching him.

Kuro squirmed, overwhelmed by Keith’s touch, the furrowed look of concentration. Suddenly Keith’s eyelashes fluttered and he looked over his shoulder at Shiro, whose hand had disappeared between Keith’s legs.

“Shiro,” he whimpered, and Shiro leaned over him, pressing kisses to the nape of his neck.

“You’re doing so well,” he murmured, and Keith  _ whined _ , resting his forehead on Kuro’s knees.

Kuro cooed at him, reaching up to brush Keith’s hair out of his eyes. “So good,” he said. “Can’t believe I get to have you.”

Keith bit his lip and he looked fucked-out already, just from Shiro’s fingers, the chance to touch Kuro. Keith tilted forward, pressing hungry kisses up Kuro’s chest, up to his lips. He curled his fingers just so and Kuro gasped, clutching at the blankets. Keith nipped at his lip and Kuro moaned, desperate already. “Fuck, Keith.”

Keith hummed, arching his spine to press back against Shiro’s hand. “Shiro, I’m ready,  _ please!” _

Shiro swore under his breath. “Kuro, are you ready?” Kuro nodded and Shiro ran his hand down Kuro’s thigh, a grounding touch.

He cupped Keith’s hips, pulling up until Keith was leaning back against Shiro’s chest. Shiro kissed his temple. “Kuro, where’s the lube?”

Kuro fumbled for the bottle, finally uncapping it and letting the lube drip over Shiro’s fingers. Shiro reached down and slicked up Keith’s cock. Keith groaned like he’d been punched, letting his head loll back on Shiro’s shoulder.

“Feel good?” Shiro asked and Keith nodded.

“Shiro…” Kuro whispered, sure that if he wasn’t getting fucked in the next thirty seconds he was going to  _ die _ .

“Sorry, sweetheart,” Shiro said and before Kuro could even start to recover from  _ sweetheart,  _ Shiro was guiding Keith’s hips forward so the head of his cock was catching on Kuro’s rim.

Keith moaned, pushing Kuro’s thigh up toward his chest as he sank inside him, until Kuro couldn’t tell where he ended and Keith began. “Keith,” he said, tilting his chin up for a kiss and Keith fell into him, showering him with kisses as he fucked into him. 

But suddenly Shiro was pulling Keith upright again, until only the head of his cock was connecting them, and Kuro keened at the loss. Shiro shushed him, lining himself up and pressing into Keith.

Keith’s jaw dropped as his cock started splitting Kuro open again.

Kuro threw his head back, groaning as Shiro set a steady, devastating pace that had him melting into the mattress already.

“God, Keith, your cock,” he gasped and Keith keened.

Shiro’s metal hand traced upward, resting on Keith’s collarbone. “Look at him,” he crooned in Keith’s ear. “Look how desperate he is for you.”

Keith moaned, so softly Kuro almost didn’t hear it. “Feeling good, baby?” Shiro asked, kissing his throat.

“So good, so good, oh fuck!” he moaned, tipping his head back for a kiss.

The sight of Shiro’s arms around Keith’s waist and chest, the only thing keeping him upright, went straight to Kuro’s cock. He could feel the pleasure licking up his spine, like a flame that was threatening to catch. “So beautiful,” he said, and the others turned to him, lips kiss-swollen and eyes dark.

“Kiss me?” Kuro pleaded and Keith nodded. Shiro’s arms fell away and Keith collapsed against Kuro’s chest, kissing him desperately.

Shiro held Keith’s hips, pounding into him faster and deeper than ever. Keith tried to keep kissing Kuro, but he could only pant into Kuro’s mouth, sharing his breath. Kuro tangled his fingers in Keith’s hair and Keith whimpered, “K-Kuro…”

“So perfect,” Kuro whispered. “You feel so good…”

Keith gasped, his brow furrowing as his hips bucked, pressing against Kuro’s prostate. Kuro’s orgasm caught him by surprise, ripping through him like a collapsing star, lighting him up from the inside out.

His hips bucked up, making Keith and Shiro both moan. Kuro pressed a kiss to Keith’s throat. “Fill me up,” he whispered. “Make me yours.”

Keith’s eyes went wide, and Kuro noticed a glint of gold as Keith came on a silent cry, spilling inside him and sending shocks of pleasure all the way to Kuro’s toes. 

“Oh fuck, Keith,” Shiro groaned and Kuro caught his eye.

“Come on, Shiro,” he whispered, staring into those familiar gray eyes. Kuro wrapped his arm around Keith’s waist and Keith sighed, nuzzling into the crook of his neck. “Look how good we are for you.”

Shiro gasped like he’d been sucker-punched. He pressed his forehead to Keith’s shoulder, burying himself in Keith, once, twice, and then stilling as he pressed Kuro deeper and deeper into the mattress.

Keith collapsed under Shiro’s weight, sprawling across Kuro. Even when Shiro rolled over next to Kuro, Keith pillowed his head on Kuro’s chest, reaching out to twine his fingers with Shiro's.

“I feel like I’m dreaming,” he whispered. “Like I’ll wake up any moment alone in my room.”

Kuro reached up, gently pinching Keith’s ass. Keith squawked and Kuro smiled, kissing his forehead in apology. “It’s real, sweetheart,” he said. “We’re here.”

“As long as you’ll have us,” Shiro said, and Keith’s head shot up, an indignant frown on his face.

“When have I ever not wanted you?” he asked, his voice rough, and Shiro stared before crashing into Keith, licking into his mouth in a claiming kiss.

Keith’s eyelashes fanned out across his cheeks and his breath caught in his throat as Kuro kissed the hinge of his jaw, the place where his pulse fluttered. He sucked a bruise into Keith’s skin, and Keith’s legs fell open until he was straddling Kuro’s thigh. He could feel Keith’s cock hardening against his hip, and his own cock was stirring already, much faster than his memories of his old body.

Kuro groaned, reaching down to guide Keith’s hips, grinding down against his thigh, and Keith huffed out a breath, turning to nip at Kuro’s bottom lip.

Shiro stared, punch-drunk and yearning, and he ran his fingers through Kuro’s hair. Kuro’s eyes stung, and he blinked up at Shiro. Keith pressed one last kiss to his lips and whispered, “I never thought I’d get to have you.” He glanced up at Shiro, suddenly shy. “Either of you.”

Shiro’s eyes were soft, and he reached up to cup Keith’s cheek, kissing him softly. “How could we not love you?” he whispered, running his thumb along Keith’s cheekbone.

Keith gasped and Kuro pressed a kiss to the corner of his mouth. “Keith, you’re everything.”

A rumble kicked up in Keith’s chest and Kuro froze. “Keith, are you - purring?”

Keith blushed the prettiest pink and Kuro and Shiro traded delighted looks.

“That’s adorable,” Kuro said and Keith somehow blushed even harder.

“Our good boy,” Shiro said, ducking down to steal a kiss.

“Shirooo…” Keith groaned, burying his face in Kuro’s chest.

Shiro gave him a besotted smile and Kuro laughed. “Do you want to shut him up?” Kuro whispered in Keith’s ear and Keith grinned, sharp and wicked.

Kuro eyed Shiro, who was blushing down his chest. “Why don’t you go suck his cock?”

Shiro spluttered and Keith laughed. “Maybe I’ll suck yours next,” he teased, tracing his fingers teasingly across Kuro’s chest as he slid off Kuro's lap to settle between Shiro’s thighs. Kuro shuddered as Keith’s thumb caught his nipple. 

“I know all your secrets too,” Shiro warned, with no heat in it, but then Keith was swallowing his cock down and Shiro suddenly lost the ability to talk.

Kuro laughed, rolling over to press a kiss to the cute freckle on Keith's hip. Then he leaned up to kiss Shiro lazily, cupping Keith’s ass just to see his hips jump. He could get addicted to this.

***

In the morning, Kuro blinked as Atlas not-so-helpfully raised the lights. He was tangled in a pile of limbs, and he took a moment to smile down at Keith and Shiro, sleeping next to him. He pressed a kiss to Keith’s temple and whispered, “I love you.”

Keith’s eyes opened and he smiled up at Kuro, boyish and sweet. “I love you too,” he said, leaning in and catching Kuro in a hungry kiss.

Kuro lost himself in the kiss, until he felt cool metal fingers reaching for his hand. He opened his eyes and saw Shiro smiling at him.  _ I love you _ , he mouthed and Kuro’s heart stuttered in his chest. He squeezed Shiro’s hand, smiling when Keith started purring against his lips. He could  _ definitely  _ get addicted to this.

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you so much for reading, I hope you enjoyed it! <3 The idea of Keith running back to the clone facility has been rattling around in my head for a while, so I'm really glad I finally got to write it out! These boys mean a lot to me, and I had a really hard time "finishing" this one because I kept wanting to go back and add more! Maybe I'll have to come back to this AU someday. (Maybe!)
> 
> You can find me over on [Twitter](https://twitter.com/bavariancookie) if you want to talk about Sheith!


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